Referendum added to UA ballot

This spring's Undergraduate Assembly election ballot will feature only one referendum proposing student government reform, according to Nominations and Elections Committee Chairperson Ning Hsu. Two other constitutional reforms were submitted too late to make the March 26-27 ballot. "They really are confusing and we don't have enough time to publicize them," said Hsu, a Wharton senior. Hsu explained that the two latecomers also lacked the requisite number of signatures. She added that if the proposals receive sufficient signatures, they can be voted on at a later date. The plan which will be on the ballot was co-authored by Wharton senior Gil Beverly, College senior Graham Robinson, College junior Mosi Bennett and 1995 College graduate Rick Gresh. Beverly is vice chairperson of the UA, Robinson was chairperson of the Student Activities Committee Steering Committee, Bennett is president of the Social Planning and Events Committee and a former UA secretary and Gresh is the former Nominations and Elections Committee chairperson. The reform plan calls for the formation of a new body to replace the UA. The body, to be called the Student Council on Undergraduate Life, would consist of an Elected Committee of 21 which would handle SCUL's operations. A Council of Advisors consisting of 12 to 15 heads of student organizations will set the agenda of the Elected Committee. SCUL would jointly elect a chairperson and vice chairperson team. While the elected body would not have mandated public meetings, publicity would be handled by a Communications Board, which Beverly hopes will maintain a World Wide Web home page or newsletter. Beverly said the authors intended the closed meetings to create an atmosphere that was more conducive to getting work done than to publicity seeking. A Board of Governors, made up of the heads of student government bodies, would hold monthly public meetings. The annual budget allocations would be handled by an Allocations Committee with representatives from each of the branches of student government and the junior class board. No group would be allowed to vote on its own budget. The class boards and the New Student Orientation Committee would be conferred the status of affiliated organizations and would receive their funding from the Allocations Board. The much-disputed University Council student seats would be divided between the two bodies of SCUL, with five seats going to the Council of Advisors and the remaining 10 to the Elected Committee. The Committee may allocate up to five of its seats to members of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education. Beverly said he hoped the plan would add to the legitimacy of student government by garnering the support and involvement of a variety of groups. And he said he felt the plan will attract productive students to run. "SCUL is a lot less public than the UA, and in order to advance, you have to convince a Council of Advisors who will probably know what they are dealing with," Beverly said. Hsu explained that the other two plans will be voted on at a later date -- possibly April 15-16 -- if the authors get the requisite number of signatures. The second constitutional referendum was submitted last night by College senior Eric Tienou, a former UA member. It calls for the UA to be replaced by a student body president and vice president. While the president will be the representative voice on affairs of undergraduates, the vice president will aid in representation and coordinate efforts with other branches of student government. UC seats would go to the president, the vice president, the four class presidents and the SAC chairperson. The rest would be assigned by popular election. The last proposal, submitted by College sophomore Larry Kamin, calls for the reopening of the 1996-97 UA Budget to allow SAC funds to be divided up by student vote.

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